Zildjian Cymbals -- A little history...

[Old No7]

What keyboard played doesn't know about Zildjian?

 

Every drummer I ever jammed or gigged with had at least one Zildjian cymbal, with the more fortunate of them having "all Zildjian".

 

I'm not an expert, and maybe some other brands are just as good, but I was intrigued by this "brief history of Zildjian" from the latest Guitar Center catalog (note: NOT a lot of keyboards in there....) that hit my mailbox. Yeah, I could go to Wikipedia for more detailed info, but I do try to avoid that site. Here's what they noted about Zildjian...

 

"So the story goes, a Turkish alchemist named Avedis was employed by the sultan to make gold. In 1623, he accidentally stumbled upon an alloy that made a beautiful, dark, shimmering sound when struck. The sultan was so impressed that he gave Avedis a new family name: Zildjian, meaning "cymbal smith". The recipe for their bronze alloy has been closely guarded ever since, but the magic is no mystery at all. It's right there in Zildjian cymbals, player every day, all over the world."

 

There may be some clever marketing embedded in that "story", but I'd never heard it before from any drummers.

 

Old No7

[Rod S]

Yes, the company dates way back. Fascinating Story, even if the details may have been lost / changed over time, a company that's been around this long is remarkable.

 

Sabian is a spin off from Zindjian, from what I remember. At one point there was a disagreement between two brothers, and one set off to create Sabian.

[Old No7]

Yes, the company dates way back...

The only other "really old" company I know is Beretta -- in business since 1526.

 

Now if we're talking about "old professions"...... Musicians and a few others come to mind.......

 

Old No7

[drawback]

Sabian is a spin off from Zindjian, from what I remember. At one point there was a disagreement between two brothers, and one set off to create Sabian.

 

That"s true. Back in the '80s while on holidays in New Brunswick we drove past a sign that indicated the Sabian factory. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, we drove down what was then a rural road to the building. They were closed for summer holidays, but the manager was there and took us for a tour. I remember the testing room where they were in the process of finishing a set for Jack DeJohnette..

[Rod S]

Yes, the company dates way back...

The only other "really old" company I know is Beretta -- in business since 1526.

 

Now if we're talking about "old professions"...... Musicians and a few others come to mind.......

 

Old No7

 

There's several others.. this list is a pretty amusing read.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_companies

 

On a tangent, Cambridge Uni dates from 13th century.

 

Coming from a country were 19th century stuff is 'old', travelling in Europe and Asia is always an enlightening and humbling lesson of what old really means.

 

Worked for DuPont several years, where leadership always bragged about how old the company was (1802); now reduced to a shadow. I still work in one of the spinoffs.

[Shamanczarek]

While not as old Paiste is a widely used brand and generally more expensive than most Zildjians. Paiste is the world's largest maker of cymbals and has made several innovations and inventions in the cymbal industry. Famous drummers that used Paiste include John Densmore, Ian Paice, John Bonham, Bill Bruford, Barriemore Barlow, Cozy Powell, Jeff Porcaro, Carl Palmer, Larry Mullen, Nick Mason, and Stewart Copeland. Paiste started out in Estonia in the early 1900s and are now based in Switzerland. When I bought a new set of cymbals last year I would have gotten Paiste but the ones I wanted were out of my budget so I went with a set of Zildjian A series which were around $1000.

[RABid]

A few years ago while at Sweetwater Gearfest my goal was to find a ride cymbal that matched the sound that I had in my head. After trying over 30 cymbals in several booths I happened on the one. It was in the Sabian booth manned by a bunch of Canadians who made the cymbals. The man I talked to about the cymbal seemed to be almost excited as me, happy that someone really appreciated the sound of the cymbal. I got it for the same price as a production run cymbal of the same size and type which were on sale at Gearfest, and was VERY happy.

 

Edit - I think most of my cymbals came from Gearfest. You can find really good deals on cymbals and cymbal packs at that time.

[Mark Schmieder]

Yep, a Zil is a cymbal in Turkish (I learned this recently when searching for better Finger Cymbals than I had owned previously). And it does seem like most, if not all, of the world's major cymbal manufacturers spun off of Zildjian, which was the first.

 

I prefer Zildjian myself. Yet Sabians can sound good in a mix. Some of the others I can like on a case by case basis. But I keep coming back to Zildjian, where I never really hear one I don't like. I'll eventually buy their orchestral suspended cymbals.